Just a short few years ago, email was the new big thing. Everyone had to have an email address to communicate with others, both in the professional world as well as a personal email. Nowadays, it appears that email is no longer as important as social networking.
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Statistics at the end of 2008 from Nielson Online showed that
social networking had taken over email as a way to reach other people worldwide. According to the stats, 66.8% of Internet users looked towards
social media sites for communication as compared to 65.1% that used email. The only websites that ranked higher in use than "member communities" was
search engine and web portal sites like Google and Yahoo.
The study also showed other aspects of social networking sites. In 2008, Internet users spent 63% more time on
member community websites than they did the year before. That number is expected to grow once again for 2009.
So, which
social networking site had the biggest growth for 2008? That would be
Facebook. It saw a 566% growth in use in just one year. The website added 12.4 million people between the ages of 35-49 in the year 2008. That age category is the fastest growing demographic on Facebook.
Although,
Facebook is growing exponentially,
MySpace still remains the largest grossing member community according to Nielson Online. In 2008, MySpace brought in an estimated $1 billion while Facebook made $300 million.
Facebook does remain the most popular
social networking website for almost every country in the world. The only countries where MySpace is number is Japan, Germany, and Brazil.
These statistics are not very surprising considering just how important
social networking sites are becoming not only for personal use but also for professional use.
Social Networking websites like
Facebook and
MySpace are attracting all types of people of all ages. Not only are you finding teenagers and college kids using these sites, but you will find 40-year-old work at home moms that use them for networking as well as 50-year-old CEOs of small businesses that use them to make connections.
There are so many reasons why a person should join
social networking sites. As seen by the numbers, you may just be left in the dust if you don't.
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